Statistical information Aruba 1997

Aruba in the World
Aruba - Introduction 1997
top of pageBackground: Formerly one of the Netherlands Antilles Aruba became an autonomous part of the Netherlands in 1986.
top of pageLocation: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates: 12 30 N, 69 58 W
Map reference:
Central America and the CaribbeanAreaTotal: 193 km²
Land: 193 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 68.5 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea:12 nm
Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m
Natural resources: negligible; white sandy beaches
Land useArable land: 11%
Permanent crops: NA%
Permanent pastures: NA%
Forests and woodland: NA%
Other: 89% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA km²
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
Geographytop of pagePopulation: 68,031 (July 1997 est.)
Growth rate: 0.39% (1997 est.)
NationalityNoun: Aruban(s)
Adjective: Aruban
Ethnic groups: mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%
Languages: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
Religions: Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 22% (male 7,814; female 7,127)
15-64 years: 69% (male 22,544; female 24,656)
65 years and over: 9% (male 2,433; female 3,457) (July 1997 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 0.39% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 14.2 births/1000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 6.32 deaths/1000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: -3.97 migrant(s)/1000 population (1997 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: NA
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 8.1 deaths/1000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 76.8 years
Male: 73.11 years
Female: 80.68 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.81 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: NA
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Aruba
Government type: NA
Capital: Oranjestad
Administrative divisions: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Dependent areasIndependence: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; in 1990, Aruba requested and received from the Netherlands cancellation of the agreement to automatically give independence to the island in 1996)
National holiday: Flag Day, 18 March
Constitution: 1 January 1986
Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since 1 January 1992)
Head of government: Prime Minister Jan (Henny) H. EMAN (since 29 July 1994) and Deputy Prime Minister Glenbert F. CROES
Cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten
Elections: the queen is a constitutional monarch; governor general appointed for a six-year term by the queen; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by the Staten for a four-year term; election last held 29 July 1994 (next to be held by July 1998)
Election results: Jan (Henny) H. EMAN elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA; Glenbert F. CROES elected deputy prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct popular vote and serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held 29 July 1994 (next to be held by NA July 1998)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AVP 10, MEP 9, OLA 2
Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: ECLAC (associate), Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WToO (associate)
Diplomatic representationIn the us: none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
From the us: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
Flag description
: blue with two narrow horizontal yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Tourism is the mainstay of the Aruban economy, although offshore banking and oil refining and storage are also important. The rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities. Construction has boomed, with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level. In addition, the reopening of the country's oil refinery in 1993, a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings, has further spurred growth. Aruba's small labor force and less than 1% unemployment rate have led to a large number of unfilled job vacancies despite sharp rises in wage rates in recent years.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 5% (1996 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $21,000 (1996 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: NA%
Industry: NA%
Services: NA%
Agriculture products: aloes; livestock; fishing
Industries: tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Labor force: NA
By occupation: most employment is in the tourist industry (1996)
Unemployment rate: 0.5% (1994)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $145 million
Expenditures: $185 million, including capital expenditures of $42 million (1988)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExportsTotal value: $1.3 billion (including oil re-exports) (f.o.b., 1995)
Commodities: mostly refined petroleum products
Partners: US 64%, EU
ImportsTotal value: $1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
Commodities: food, consumer goods, manufactures, petroleum products, crude oil for refining and reexport
Partners: US 8%, EU
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $669 million (December 1995)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1 - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: NA kW
Production: NA kWh
Consumption per capita: NA kWh
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitaAruba - Communication 1997
top of pageTelephones: 22,922 (1993 est.)
Telephone systemDomestic: more than adequate
International: 1 submarine cable to Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles); extensive interisland microwave radio relay links
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresMilitary and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupsAruba - Transportation 1997
top of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 2 (1996 est.)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
HeliportsPipelinesRailways: 0 km
RoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marineTotal: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,274 GRT/ 10,130 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 3 (1996 est.)
Ports and terminalsAruba - Transnational issues 1997
top of pageDisputes international: none
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: drug money-laundering center and transit point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; added to the US list of major drug producing or drug transit countries in December 1996